"Harrison David Rivers’s crowd-pleasing new play...Directed by Raelle Myrick-Hodges on a set strung with clotheslines, Mr. Rivers’s play aims for poetry but settles for cliché. Luckily, Ms. Aharanwa is on hand to elevate the script, bringing a kind of glow to the dreamy, dutiful Retha, whose own stubborn selflessness is her undoing...The political upheaval and the space exploration of the late ’60s are faint background noise...The plot, on the other hand, is a real throwback."
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"The most striking thing about the characters in 'Sweet' is how they exist outside of history...There's nothing wrong with not focusing on any of these issues, but if you make that choice, you should deliver something less clichéd and predictable than what is on offer here...'Sweet' might have been much harder to take but for the fact that it coasts on the talents of W. Tré Davis, Maechi Aharanwa, and Renika Williams."
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"Through Retha and Nina’s tugs-of-war and enduring sisterhood, Rivers paints a picture of the bravery required to stand up for those you love, and for choosing love...Watching these three characters waltz in a cloud of dust between memories and fantasies is an absolute joy. As its title indicates, Rivers’ play has a sweetness that offers real respite from the current socio-economic climate, though the play is not without its own heartbreaks and surprises."
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"In a breathtaking performance, Maechi Aharanwa gives Retha such radiant life, it is difficult to tear your eyes away from her...Aharanwa’s performance alone is worth the trip uptown, but it’s not all you get for the price of admission. Harrison David Rivers the playwright and Raelle Myrick-Hodges, the director, present a pitch-perfect world that is truthful, real, and obviously offered to us with thoughtfulness and love as a gift."
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